•Norman Paulsen, Sunburst Founder•Over millenniums, animal forms have been evolving from primal, simple consciousness into the higher reaches of self-consciousness. Humankind now stands on the threshold of Cosmic consciousness, Christ consciousness, enlightenment. If we allow, the power of Divine Spirit will enter in and walk within each one of us upon this Earth. This is the reason for the creation! Every man and woman can know their true immortal nature, I Am That I Am.
It’s hard to conceive what this world would be like if we were able to open up to this potential. We get glimmerings of it in the sixth sense—feelings of intuition, dreams, visions, voice communications from Spirit.
Through Kriya meditation, there is a way to open the astral door on the crown of the head. The power of I Am That I Am, the masculine and feminine sacred vortexes, the right and left hand of God, can enter in and begin to feed us with divine information, the information of the cosmos, the geometric structure of atoms and galaxies, the wisdom, the infinite knowledge. We can begin to receive and express God-consciousness on this Earth, now, today.
I hear people say: “If there is a God, why did he create such a mess? Why does he allow this world to go on like it is, with people killing each other every day because they belong to a different religion or creed or race. Why?” But God did not create the world this way. Man has made it that way. I Am That I Am created this planet to come here and live fully conscious in us, in perfect harmony.
“Know you not that you are all gods? These things I do, you can do also.” What did Jesus mean? He meant that we can become true sons and daughters of God because we are created in that image, and it lives within us.
Pray for the Divine to reveal that Light. Reach up to the crown of your head and open that door. Let those powerful vortexes of life force spin into you. That’s what sustains us here. It will give power to the higher consciousness to rule over the self-conscious mind. It will let you evolve into your true nature.
•Poem by a 15th century Indian mystic, saint, and weaver, known as Kabir.•Translated by Robert Bly• Kabir saw religions as meaningless. He was condemned by both Hindus and Muslims; but after his death members of both religions claimed him as being of their faith.
Are you looking for me?
I am in the next seat.
My shoulder is against yours.
You will not find me in the stupas,
not in Indian shrine rooms,
nor in synagogues,
nor in cathedrals,
nto in masses,
nor kirtans,
not in legs winding around your own neck,
nor in eating nothing but vegetables.
When you really look for me,
you will see me instantly—
you will find me in the tiniest house of time.
Kabir says: Student, tell me: What is God?
He is the breath inside the breath.
•by Patty Paulsen•Singing at Sunburst’s Sunday service, and listening to the music, quiets our thoughts, so we become very attentive to this very moment of being totally present, totally alive and awake. We experience the movement within our heart as it opens up, and we feel the devotion and love expressed in music. It brings forth within us a peace that is very nourishing.
We can cultivate that peace. It’s always here; it’s eternal. We can do many outward things to cultivate peace in our life. For one, associate with people that have a sense of peace, because it’s contagious. You feel comfortable around them. You feel peaceful too.
We can be mindful of what we nourish our body with. Does it agitate our system? And how does it affect our mind? Is it healing and nourishing?
The greatest work to do in cultivating peace starts within. We can take the most wonderful vacation and get away from it all, but still carry our restless mind and anxious thoughts with us. We’ll never find peace if we don’t start looking for it within ourselves.
That’s the wonderful gift and grace of using a proven tool of meditation. It can tap into that natural peace within. Meditation brings it forth so you can carry it with you in your daily practice of life.
Sit comfortably upright, and still. Sit so you are comfortable and attentive. Notice how much tension you’re carrying in your body. We are bombarded by so much—outer thoughts and activities, anxiety and worry. Sometimes without our even knowing, its piles up in our body.
Mentally scan your body; relax and release tension to create space. You may notice as you release gripping tension, you also release the breath. It moves freer in your body. At the very end of your exhaling breath it dissipates into a neutral background and the new breath comes in from the same place, the same neutral background, the silent witness of just being present.
You’ll notice this neutral background where the breath dissolves, and where it arises again. Breath has an effect on our mind, our thoughts. There is less of a grip in the mind; it too begins to relax, release, and feel more spacious. The inattentive mind can run frantic with thoughts, running to the future, going back in the past. Like watching a train pass in front of us, it’s going so fast with thoughts. But as we begin to watch the breath, the thoughts begin to slow down.
That same neutral witness, that same neutral back drop, that never changes, never jumps into the future, never goes back into the past. It’s totally present. The more we stay in that place, observing that silence witness, the less we get carried away by the train of thoughts. We can pause between our thoughts, by pausing between the inhaling and exhaling breath. In meditation, this pause begins to lengthen naturally on its own. This is the place of peace that surpasses all understanding. It’s a peace in which our ego surrenders, and the mental critic is gone.
The inner critic, that finds fault with everything dissolves. In it’s place, the neutral witness of just being present allows you to feel the peace and joy of being alive, fully alive, fully present in this place.
In this state, we can connect to the center of our soul, to the pure self, to who we truly are. And when we feel this connection, the heart opens up and allows us to stay here. We feel the Divine Presence; we have a center to be a part of, a center to give us the security that we need. We don’t feel empty or alone. Allowing thoughts and feelings to come up later, we don’t grasp and hold them as our own.
And when we find this peaceful, non-judgmental place within us, we see the perfection in other people, and everything around us. We can see what’s behind their personalities, their thoughts, and actions. Our little judging ego steps aside and we just see who we really are, and how connected we truly are to one another.
This peaceful center is where we hear intuition speak to us. We have that pause, that moment to help us make the right choices in life, if we listen. The more we cultivate this awareness, this Presence, the more we’ll be conscious of it throughout our day.
When you catch yourself wandering, just bring yourself back and be present in this space, this spirit; feel the peace of being at home in the present. Staying in this neutral place allows you to partake in life all the more. When you take a walk in nature, you are not thinking of tomorrow or what you did yesterday, but you are present, aware of the wind blowing through the trees, the feeling of the earth beneath your feet. You’re hearing the animals call for their young, noticing the vibrancy of colors, seeingthe sacred geometric patterns in nature.
Every morning in meditation, catch that moment of peace, and carry it with you throughout the day. As we calm our thoughts down, we see the light of consciousness, the pure self that we truly are. We feel our connection to all life, to all beings. We know we are loved, we are here for a reason, we are never alone, the Universe is supporting us every moment. Peace…Peace…Peace!
A person can fail many times, but they are not a failure until they begin to blame somebody else.
•Excerpt from Thich Nhat Hanh•When you plant lettuce, if it does not grow well, you don’t blame the lettuce. You look for reasons it is not doing well. It may need fertilizer, or more water, or less sun. You never blame the lettuce.
Yet if we have problems with our friends or family, we blame the other person. But if we know how to take care of them, they will grow well, like the lettuce. Blaming has no positive effect at all, nor does trying to persuade using reason and argument.
That is my experience. No blame, no reasoning, no argument, just understanding. If you understand, and you show that you understand, you can love, and the situation will change.
•More Notes on Blame and Success in Life•
When there is a problem, the best approach is to figure out the root cause. There can be a tendency to place blame, especially on others. Embracing accountability and responsibility helps us realize how we can do better as individuals, and as a group.
This requires an inner and outer environment in which it’s okay to accept responsibility; it’s okay to acknowledge you’ve made a mistake if you have. Then we need to move on in our thinking. Often the root cause of a problem is simply miscommunication, misunderstanding, or lack of information.
Introspection is vital for spiritual growth. It is helpful for group endeavors as well—periodical review of how well we’re doing.
Personal introspection and Self-affirmation helps us grow up as individuals—to assess our progress on meeting our goals in life, and on being who we want to be. Likewise a group with a common vision (be it a family or a company) with self-organizing teams and good infrastructure, makes forward progress and detects problems quickly. And this is a perfect environment for individuals to feel like they are contributing.
The blame game is not for us. Being motivated by a heart of love and kindness benefits us all.
•by Norman Paulsen, Sunburst Founder•[Prayer at a Sunburst group meditation. Thank you to Tom Rae for sharing his aurora borealis photo.]
Almighty Spirit, our Divine Father, our Divine Mother, we feel you alighting on the crowns of our heads, swirling down in your vortexes of light, touching our hearts, breathing in our lungs. We see glimpses of your light before us, through the eye of soul. You are the light of consciousness inhabiting all. You have fashioned each one of us so uniquely.
I see your miracles everywhere in the beauty of this creation. What a wonder it is to be alive in this body, to be able to meditate, to pray, to sing.
What a wonderful energy is produced in a gathering of souls, when the little self in each one joins You, the Great Self that created all of us. Like a bouquet, we offer this to You, Oh God.
Heal our minds and our bodies. Bless us with your presence. Let us feel You descending through the crowns of our heads. Let us see the light of your Cosmic Sun shining in inner space.
Oh Lord, You are the Great Comforter. You mothered us when we were babes, and you have taught us as we’ve grown. We turn to you now, and seek you in those days of life we have before us. We wish to know and serve you.
Reveal your presence to us more and more each day. In our prayers and meditations, all through our days, and when we wake in the darkness of the night, remind us of your presence.
We know You created each one of us, and You are here now as much as You ever will be. We need to discover You, to meet You, to feel your love in our hearts, and see that great light, your Cosmic Sun seen only by the eye of soul.
Divine One, when we pray to You in our meditations, if we listen deeply we can hear our voices in inner space; we have a voice in heaven! You listen to our prayers and answer us with a voice we can hear. In the great hall of the upper chamber within us, we meet You.
You are the light of soul existing in and around each thought. You know we are searching for You. You know our desires. You know our restlessness. You know our love for You. As we sit to meditate, You acknowledge all of this.
Almighty Spirit, our beloved Father and Mother, You are watching and waiting for us to give You our love and attention. You are here, residing within us. We are your children. We love You, Almighty Spirit.
•by Dawn King•During this festive to frantic time of the year, we are especially challenged to maintain an even keel of mental and emotional calmness. Current planetary alignments reflect the fact that this will continue to be particularly challenging right through the end of the year. Keeping the following affirmations and quotes at hand in memory, or as a physical cue, can help us survive gracefully.
Daily meditation is the key to stilling the mind.
To control the breath is to control the mind.
Affirmation: I take a deep breath and realize this moment is a fleeting scene in a cosmic play. I remember that I am a divine spark of God manifesting in this physical body. A detached enjoyment of life helps me maintain my spiritual awareness.
Affirmation:I relax and cast aside all mental burdens, allowing God to express through me perfect love, peace, and wisdom.
Sibylle Custer: This world we live in has been compared to a web. If you touch a spider web in one place, the whole web quivers. Our vibrations, our thoughts, what we do, all send a quiver through the web of this planet. May the vibrations that we each send out this moment, this day, be for the healing and comfort and upliftment of all.
Paramahansa Yogananda: God has given us one tremendous instrument of protection—more powerful than machine guns, electricity, poison gas, or any medic—the mind. It is the mind that must be strengthened. An important part of the adventure of life is to get hold of the mind and to keep that controlled mind constantly attuned to the Lord. This is the secret of a happy, successful existence. It comes by exercising mind power and by attuning the mind to God through meditation. Be in constant attunement with God. Talking with Arjuna, in the Bhagavad Gita God says: “The state of constant calmness (neutralization of restless thoughts) is attained by the continuous practice of meditation and by keeping the attention fixed at the point between the eyebrows. In this state of calmness, man witnesses the thoughts and emotions and their workings without being disturbed at all, reflecting in his consciousness only the unchangeable image of Spirit.
